TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and possibly take action on approving recommendations made by the Transportation Advisory Committee, regarding the East West Parkway Corridor Study. Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
This item is a resubmission for consideration by the Mayor and Council. The first submission for vote on these two alternatives was tabled by the council on November 5, 2014.
The East West Corridor Study is a project partnership comprised of Pinal County, The City of Casa Grande and The City of Maricopa. The objective of the study is to preserve a corridor for a high capacity east-west roadway through west-central Pinal County. The need for this high capacity roadway was identified in the Regionally Significant Routes for Safety and Mobility (RSRSM) Study, which was an effort to identify and preserve critically needed roadways in Pinal County. The Maricopa City Council passed Resolution 07-49 in September 2007, endorsing the RSRSM study and supporting the need to preserve right of way for critical roadway corridors. The East West Parkway Corridor is included in the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Hidden Valley Framework Study, which was formally adopted by the MAG Regional Council and the Central Arizona Association of Governments (CAAG) Regional Council in September 2009.
In June 2013, the East West Corridor Study Project Team presented the overall East West Corridor alignment to the Maricopa City Council, spanning from Interstate 10 in Casa Grande to its terminus at SR347. However, two specific segments of the East West Corridor in Maricopa remained unsettled: (1) The interchange at Maricopa Casa Grande Highway (MCGH) and White and Parker Road, and (2) the specific corridor alignment between Avalea and SR347. Work continued over the next year to further refine the alternatives. During this time, the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) carefully weighed the alternatives in special meetings. In a Special TAC Meeting on May 27, 2014, the TAC recommended the general alignment of the corridor between Avalea and SR347. In a second Special TAC Meeting on July 22, 2014, the TAC made recommendations in favor of: (1) the specific alignment of the interchange at White and Parker Road and MCGH (depicted as White and Parker MIS Concepts Refined Concept B) and (2) the specific alignment of the corridor between Avalea and SR347 (depicted as Revised Farrell Road Alignment w/SR347 Opt B).
Option B of the Interchange at White and Parker Road offers a more direct access to downtown Maricopa from the east. Option B of the Revised Farrell Road Alignment with SR347 preserves two existing, occupied homes and preserves an alignment which could potentially provide connectivity to Interstate 11 freeway. Option A (continuation along the Farrell Road alignment) would terminate the parkway corridor indefinitely at SR347 due to the cultural sensitivity of the Farrell Road area west of SR347. For these reasons, the TAC recommended Option B of both the interchange and the corridor alignment between Avalea and SR347.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Mayor and City Council approve the recommendations made by the Transportation Advisory Committee in favor of White and Parker MIS Concepts Refined Concept B and Revised Farrell Road Alignment w/SR347 Option B.